#lilover131

WHILE THE STARS WERE WATCHING US

“If I were alone, I probably wouldn’t have made it back. It’s because everyone was there…”

 Syaoran grew quiet for a moment, the thought of just how fragile his mortality was when they were journeying through the Inner Nirai Kanai.

 “Because the distance was reduced?” Fuuma finished.

 “…That’s right,” Syaoran said after a moment. The group had certainly become much closer as their journey progressed. He couldn’t imagine ever making the decision he did to continue travelling if he thought he would be alone. Syaoran had already spent far too much time alone in his painful past, and honestly, his friends were really the only thing keeping him sane at this point.

 “For the sake of that cute princess as well, you all have to stay safe, right?”

 Syaoran stared into his empty cup at those words and nodded slowly.

 “Right”

 He only wished she could have been there with them, enjoying this homemade meal by Fai under the stars. Even though he had his friends by his side, there was still this dull ache in his heart when he thought about Sakura.

 Fuuma leaned in and poured some sake into Syaoran’s empty cup as a big smile formed on his face.

 “Now then, since the order has been delivered, and since you can finally relax…Let’s drink!”

 Syaoran blinked, looking at the cup again.

 “Ah…”

 “Now now, feel free to!”

 “A-all right”

 Syaoran took the cup and drank the sake in a big gulp, and Mokona shrieked once she saw the bottle his drink had been poured from.

 “No, Syaoran, careful!” she cried out.

 “You idiot! That was the strongest awamori liquor!” Kurogane noticed then as well, and he shouted, though it was unclear if he was yelling at Syaoran or Fuuma.

 “Oh, my!” said Fai, who seemed to already be amused at what the night would bring with this action. Fuuma, on the other hand, was confused at the mixed reactions he got around the table. As far as he was concerned, he had simply poured the boy a drink.

 “Huh? What, what?”

 Fai seemed a bit nervous even though he was excited for the outcome, and he enlightened Fuuma on the current situation.

 “Well you see, Syaoran-kun here doesn’t hold liquor well, so it always turns into a pretty funny situation”

 As he said this, Syaoran continued to drink the cup despite the warnings and shouting from Kurogane.

 “Idiot, don’t drink!”

 He continued on, and Fai blinked, certainly surprised.

 “Oh, my,” he said again, and his blue eyes watched as Syaoran finished his glass and proceeded to pour himself another round.

 “He served himself!” Fuuma said in a playful tone. The boy took the glass he had just poured and drank it all it one big gulp, much to the surprise of everyone around him.

 “Aaaah! He drank it in one go!” Mokona squealed.

 “This is going to turn into a VERY funny situation!” Fai said with a nervous laugh.

 “I told you to stop! Someone stop him!” Kurogane shouted, seeing as Syaoran wasn’t heeding his orders as he usually did. The boy took a deep breath after swallowing the contents of the glass, and he gave a gentle smile at Kurogane, who then sighed in defeat.

 “Don’t drink too much. You’ll get sick,” he said in a much softer tone than before, and Syaoran giggled a bit in response to this.

 “So this is what he’s like when he drinks?” Fuuma asked, watching him curiously. Fai nodded and took a sip of his own drink while Mokona danced happily on Syaoran’s head. The boy swayed a bit in the chair, his face flushed from drunkenness, but his smile could almost rival the sun in its brightness.

 “Do you want to play a game, Syaoran-kun?” Fai brought up suddenly. Kurogane did not take a liking to this idea, instantly sending glares in his direction. Fuuma and Mokona seemed to grow more excited.

 “Yes, yes!! Let’s play a game!” Mokona demanded.

 “A game? That could be fun,” Fuuma added.

 “What kind of scheme are you concocting, mage?” Kurogane asked with slight growl in his tone. Fai smiled innocently, but there was no denying that a hint of mischief was in his eyes.

 “Scheme? How mean Kuro-pu! I’m just trying to entertain our guest!”

 “I don’t believe you for a second!”

 Fai laughed, and Syaoran tilted his head curiously at him.

 “What kind of game?” he asked. The blond turned to him and smiled.

 “Well, I’m so glad you asked Syaoran-kun! It’s a game that Kuro-tan and I learned while we were in Yasha’s country! Though I didn’t really play much, since I couldn’t understand anyone…”

 “How did you communicate then? Was it like charades?” Mokona asked.

 “Cha…rades? What’s that? I mostly communicated with drawings. It was fun!”

 “So it was like Pictionary then!”

 “…Pictionary?”

 Kurogane had nearly forgotten about the six months that he and Fai had spent in the Yasha clan’s territory before the others made it to that same world. The silence from Fai had been so nice, though the magician always found ways to annoy him, even with the language barrier. But when he thought back to the game that was played while they were there, his eyes widened in horror.

 “No! Absolutely not! We’re not playing that!”

 Intrigued, Mokona asked for more information.

 “What game is it Fai?!” she said excitedly.

 “It’s a game called ‘Ou-sama’. All we’ll need are some chopsticks and…”

 He looked around, as if searching for something.

 “Fuuma-kun, do you have anything to write with by chance?”

 Fuuma reached into his bag, which was undoubtedly filled with incredibly rare items from his travels, and he tossed a pen in Fai’s direction. The blond cheered and took a few wooden chop sticks before promptly beginning to write what appeared to be little marks on them. The others watched curiously while Kurogane grumbled audibly. Fai then took the chopsticks with the marks on them and wrapped his hand around them so that they were covering the numbers.

 “Everybody pick a chopstick. If you pick the one with crown on it, that means you are the ‘Ou-sama’, and you get to make a command. The ones who are ordered must follow it, or they lose the game. After each round, we draw a number again. Since our writing systems are all different, I did markings instead of numbers on each chopstick. One mark means you’re number one, and so on. When you pick a number, don’t tell anyone what your number is, because the ‘Ou-sama’ will pick commands without knowing who corresponds with each number”

 Mokona bounced onto the table and twirled in her joy.

 “This is going to be fun!”

 Fuuma nodded in agreement, and Syaoran’s eyes lit up slightly in anticipation.

 “I think it’s a bad idea,” Kurogane stated, and Fai smiled at him.

 “But Kuro-pu, everyone has to participate!” Fai whined.

 “I WILL NOT!!” he shouted.

 Kurogane’s face was filled with rage until he felt a gentle tug at the shoulder area of his shirt. He looked down and saw Syaoran staring up at him with big, pleading amber eyes.

 “Kurogane-san…please play with us. It will be fun…”

 The man’s face instantly softened, his will shattered by the innocence in the boy’s expression. He had to play, if only to protect the boy in his inebriated state. After all, he saw what this game did to even the toughest of men in Yasha’s territory. Kurogane looked away with a sigh of defeat.

 “Fine…I’ll play…”

 There was an almost evil glint in Fai’s eyes when Kurogane agreed to play, but his smile never faded, even for a moment. Syaoran and Mokona seemed thrilled, and Fuuma was simply enjoying himself as the observer.

 “Everyone go ahead and pick a number then,” Fai said as he gently wrapped his hand around the chopsticks, his fingers concealing the numbers so that everyone would pick blindly.

 Each person reached forward and picked a stick, doing well to hide what number they had received. Fai grinned when he looked at his, and Kurogane felt as if he had swallowed his own heart.

 “It looks like I’m the ‘Ou-sama’ this round!”

 Kurogane pointed accusingly at Fai once the words were spoken, teeth bared.

 “You cheated, didn’t you?!”

 “If I had cheated, you would’ve surely noticed, Kuro-pon. You are a ninja after all…”

 “…Supposedly,” Mokona finished.

 “I AM A NINJA!!!”

 Fuuma laughed at the banter before emerging from his silent observance.

 “He did not cheat. I’m sure of it”

 “And why would I believe anything you say?”

 Kurogane grumbled under his breath before waiting for Fai to make a command. He seemed to be contemplating something, and that really only served to make him feel worse.

 “Number 3…I command you to sing your heart out for all of us to hear!”

 Everyone glanced down to their chopsticks to see who number 3 was, and Kurogane stared at his, as if it had somehow betrayed him. The others all glanced to him and noticed the 3 distinct markings on Kurogane’s chopstick. Syaoran’s eyes widened, and Mokona cheered.

 “Sing, sing, sing!!” Mokona cried.

 “NO WAY!!”

 “Awwwww, don’t say that, Kuro-tan. You have to do it, or you lose the game”

 “…Then so be it. I didn’t want to play anyways”

 “I thought ninjas were men of their word. I guess not, huh?”

 Kurogane looked as if he had been wounded by the words, and he sent a glare in Fuuma’s direction as the man nodded in agreement. Syaoran blinked, watching curiously to see what Kurogane would choose. He promised to play, so would he back out in the very first round?

 “…Fine….”

 Syaoran’s eyes lit up with anticipation as the man cleared his throat in preparation, but the voice that came out was so quiet, it was barely above a whisper.

 “Louder, Kuro-pu”

 Fai urged, and everyone around moved a little closer to get a better listen. A grunt came out, and his singing halted for a moment before he began to sing louder, his face showing both anger and embarrassment simultaneously.

 “Louder! Put your heart into it!” Mokona shouted.

 The singing that came from Kurogane almost sounded more like yelling now as his anger rose, but the melody wasn’t all bad beyond the rage. After singing a few lines, he stopped and turned his back to try and hide his shame. This, however, did not stop Syaoran from applauding.

 “You have a very nice voice, Kurogane-san! It was very passionate!”

 “…Huh?”

 Kurogane seemed surprised by the reaction, but it seemed to make him feel somewhat better, even if the kid was drunk and slightly impaired.

 “It was definitely passionate,” Fuuma said with a laugh, and just as quickly as Kurogane was brought back up, the moment seemed to vanish upon hearing the unwelcome guest speak.

 “Do you sing at all, Syaoran-kun?” Fai asked.

 Syaoran shook his head.

 “I can’t sing in front of people!”

 Mokona hopped up onto Syaoran’s shoulder.

 “I’d like to hear you sing someday!” Mokona said, and Fai nodded in agreement.

 “I’d also like to hear it”

 Syaoran smiled in response.

 “Someday then”

 Fai reached forward to gather the sticks, but just before he could, Kurogane saw to it himself.

 “I’ll hold them this time”

 Fai shrugged and let Kurogane take over, and he did a quick shuffle before holding them out as the magician had done before, making sure to conceal the numbers. Like the first round, everyone reached forward and grabbed a chopstick carefully as to not reveal their number. They all looked to each other, curious to see who had gotten the role of ‘Ou-sama’ this round.

 “Looks like it’s my turn,” Fuuma said.

 The group was very curious what sort of command Fuuma might give. After all, they didn’t really know him that well. From what they could tell, he seemed like a nice person, so long as you didn’t get in his way. Kurogane refused to like him at all, seeing as he was Seishirou’s brother. Fuuma cupped his chin a bit in thought as he tried to think of what command to give.

 “Am I allowed to command more than one person at a time?” he asked. Fai nodded.

 “You may command as many people as you like”

 “Hmm…all right then. Numbers 1 and 5, I command you to do your best impressions of each other”

 It was a fairly tame dare, and Syaoran lifted his chopstick to reveal the single marking on it, and the one who had number 5 was…

 “Hooray! Mokona is great at impressions! It’s one of my 108 secret techniques!”

 Syaoran smiled at Mokona before she hopped back onto the table.

 “You go first, Syaoran!”

 The boy seemed to agree to this and seemed to be mentally preparing himself. He closed his eyes tight, which caused some to wonder if he was in pain, before suddenly opening them as wide as he possibly could.

 “Mekyo!!”

 “…Eh?”

 Kurogane was utterly confused, but Fai found great amusement and could not contain his laughter. Mokona seemed thrilled and did a little twirl of appreciation.

 “That was very good, Syaoran-kun!” Fai complimented.

 Syaoran rubbed a bit at his eyes from the slight discomfort of having them opened so unnaturally.

 “Mokona, it’s your turn!” Fai mentioned, still snickering.

 Mokona stood in the center of the table and took a deep breath before making a very serious face, trying to capture Syaoran’s likeness.

 “Raitei Shourai!” she shouted, and her little nub of a hand extended out, as if to shoot out magic.

 There was a long pause of silence after her shout, but she remained in a heroic pose nonetheless. Kurogane was about to comment before, much to everyone’s surprise, a bolt of lightning shot from Mokona’s hand and struck the roof of their little temporary home. It wasn’t a big bolt, but it was certainly loud, and a few shingles fell off the roof in a dramatic crash. Fuuma adjusted his glasses, as if he had seen things wrong, and Kurogane’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

 “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!!!”

 The ninja stood up, grabbing Mokona by her head and poking her stomach.

 “WHAT…WHERE DID IT…HOW?!!!”

 “Mokona doesn’t like being poked like that!”

 The little creature struggled in Kurogane’s grip, and the man hardly noticed as Syaoran stood up from his seat and began to climb up the beams of the house to inspect where the lightning had struck close up.

 “That was amazing, Mokona! It really was lightning. I can still feel the heat coming off of where it struck!”

 The boy was in awe, and Fai was clapping animatedly.

 “Well done, Mokona!”

 Kurogane released Mokona finally, but not without questions.

 “Why did you tell us you could do something like that?!”

 “You never asked. Besides, Mokona’s 108 secret techniques are secret!”

 “108…you have 108 abilities?”

 “Yep!”

 “…You…the hunter’s brother…hand me the sake bottle. I think I need another drink”

 Fuuma handed over the container of sake politely and watched as Kurogane poured himself a glass and began to sip. Fai glanced back to Syaoran, who started to stand on the rooftop, but his balance seemed a little wobbly. Undoubtedly, the standing had gotten his blood flowing, and the drunkenness was truly beginning to hit him. The boy fell forward off the ledge of the roof, and Fai and Mokona both cried out in worry. Fortunately, the boy still landed on his feet, seemingly unharmed. Apparently even when drunk, the boy was still quite light on his feet. Syaoran blinked up at everyone, his face flushed from his drunkenness. Kurogane sighed and gently tapped his forehead with a closed fist when he came back to the table. It was the only way he knew how to lecture the boy, really.

 “Don’t go doing reckless things like that, kid. You’re still recovering from your wounds, you know…”

 The boy giggled and almost didn’t even seem to hear the man. But he did seem oddly focused on the top of Kurogane’s head.

 “Kurogane-san…when did you get cat ears?”

 Kurogane glared in Fuuma’s direction, as if he were to blame for everything.

 “This is why we don’t let him drink the strong sake…”

 Fuuma shrugged, not seeming particularly guilty as Syaoran took his seat again. He swayed a bit in his chair, eyes a bit glazed over, but he was smiling nonetheless. Fai stood up and moved to examine him for a moment, cupping his face in a motherly way.

 “Are you doing all right, Syaoran-kun? Do you still want to play?”

 He nodded into Fai’s hands, and the magician smiled, patting the boy’s head before moving back to his seat.

 “All right then. On to the next round!”

 This time Syaoran held the chopsticks, and everyone made their choices once again. And the ‘Ou-sama’ was…

 “Hooray! Mokona wins!”

 Mokona bounced around the table, showing off her prize.

 “Let’s see…Mokona commands…”

 The group waited with baited breath.

 “Number 4, take one of the pens and write something really embarrassing on your own body. It has to be visible at all times”

 Fuuma laughed, revealing his chopstick with the four slashes.

 “Looks like that’s me. All right then”

 The treasure hunter took one of the pens from his bag and started to scribble something on his hand. The group stared at the writing, trying to read it, but alas, no one could read the language that Fuuma had written in. Well, all except Syaoran it seemed, and his eyes were widened in horror. This did not go unnoticed by Fai, and his lips curled into a grin as inquisitiveness struck him.

 “What does it say, Syaoran-kun?”

 The boy’s face flushed bright red and he shook his head.

 “I won’t say”

 Fuuma simply smiled, putting the pen away. Mokona pouted a bit.

 “Ah, Mokona forgot that everyone here writes in different languages. Oops”

 Kurogane would have argued and questioned whether Fuuma actually carried out the dare, but seeing Syaoran’s face and how the boy could barely even make eye contact with him now, it seemed he had done quite enough. The ninja wasn’t sure he wanted to know anyways.

 There seemed to be a bit of a rotation going on with who held the chopsticks each round, so this time, it was Fuuma who got to hold them. Everyone took a number, and the ‘Ou-sama’ was…

 “Finally,” Kurogane grinned and revealed his winning draw.

 “Oooh. What is your command, Kuro-sama?” Fai asked curiously.

 The man stood up from his seat and left the table for a moment to everyone’s bewilderment, and soon returned with a bowl of nukazuke. Fai shook his head rapidly. He already knew where the man was going with this.

 “Everyone will eat at least one of these pickles”

 “You’re so cruuuueeel, Kuro-rin! They’re too sour! I can’t eat those!”

 Kurogane grabbed a pair of unused chopsticks and popped one of the vegetables into his mouth, crunching and talking at the same time.  

 “If you don’t do it, you lose,” Kurogane stated.

 The ninja passed the chopsticks around, and everyone one by one ate one of the pickles, seeming to enjoy it. Fai, however, appeared to be dreading each moment as his turn drew closer and closer. Kurogane held the chopsticks out to him with the pickle slice pinched between, waiting for him to eat it.  

 “You can do it, Fai-san!” Syaoran cheered.

 The magician closed his eyes before leaning forward and biting into the vegetable, and after swallowing it as quickly as he could, he shuddered and reached for a glass of water, downing it in one go. He wriggled around in his chair at the taste that would not seem to leave him, and it almost appeared as if tears were burning in his eyes.

 “It’s so sooouuurrrrr!!” Fai cried.

 Mokona jumped up onto his shoulder and patted the side of his head.

 “You did really well, Fai. It’s all over now”

 Kurogane scoffed.

 “It’s just a pickle. You’ll survive”

 “That was the meanest thing you’ve ever done to me, Kuro-tan…”

 “…Really?”

 Fuuma laughed at Fai’s melodramatic behavior before gathering the chopsticks with the markings and holding them out to Mokona.

 “It’s your turn, little one”

 “Okay!”

 Mokona bounced back down and wrapped her little body around the markings as much as she could as selected picked a number. This time, it was Syaoran who won the draw. Everyone was curious what command Syaoran would give, especially in his inebriated state. The boy pondered for a moment before finally speaking. Kurogane began to take a sip of his sake as he delivered his command.

 “I command number 3 to walk number 4 down the street by a leash. Number 4 must also walk on their hands and knees,” Syaoran commanded.

 Kurogane spit out his drink and frowned when he revealed that he was number 4, the one who would be walked with a leash around his neck. He only hoped that number 3 wasn’t…

 “Hooray! Kuro-pon, let’s get some rope!” Fai cheered, showing off his chopstick with three defined markings.

 “This is the worst possible situation…” Kurogane muttered under his breath, his hand covering his face in horror.

 Fuuma and Mokona looked to Syaoran with a hint of surprise in their features.

 “Syaoran really is a fun drunk!” Mokona stated cheerfully. Fuuma nodded in agreement.

 Fai moved to gather something to substitute as a leash while Kurogane looked as if he wanted to simply melt into his chair and disappear. When Fai returned, rope in hand, he patted the man’s back, urging him to stand.

 “Let’s go, Big doggy,” Fai whispered into his ear.

 He hadn’t been called that since they were in Outo, and it still gave him the same feeling now as it did back then. The ninja growled in response, and just when he thought about backing out in order to spare himself the humiliation, he glanced over at Syaoran, whose eyes were once again sparkling with anticipation. Damn the kid and those innocent eyes of his!

 Kurogane stood, very much having to drag himself out of the chair, and Fai reached up to put the loop he had tied loosely around his neck. Once it was secure, Fai gently tugged on it to pull him forward. Kurogane, very much filled with shame in this moment, lowered to his hands and knees, and the moment he did, Syaoran burst into laughter, holding his stomach as he did.

 Everyone fixed their eyes on him, never having heard him laugh like that before. Sure, he chuckled every once in a while, but hearing him laugh so energetically was…refreshing. The group smiled and Mokona moved to stand in front of Syaoran on the table. Although the boy seemed happy on the outside, Mokona, being the empath she was, sensed some sort of tension within the boy; like something was about to break, and she had a feeling she knew what it was.

 “Syaoran…this is fun, isn’t it? I bet you wish both Sakura’s and ‘Syaoran’ were here with us, don’t you?”

 Fai, Kurogane, and Fuuma watched for Syaoran’s response, and the boy continued to laugh before tears began to stream uncontrollably down his face. Fai and Kurogane gasped and frowned as Syaoran brought his hands to his face to hide the tears. It was certainly an unexpected reaction, but Mokona was quick to hop onto his shoulder and gently stroke his hair with her little hand.

 “It’s okay. You’re not alone, Syaoran. We’re all here for you,” she comforted.

 Syaoran nodded, his hands still covering his face, and his teeth were clenched from the wave of emotional pain he was currently feeling.

 “He’s had too much to drink. It’s time for bed now,” Kurogane suggested.

 This time, Fai nodded in agreement, and he moved to the boy, gently helping him stand and steering him in the direction of the house. Kurogane watched as they walked away, and Fuuma looked to the ninja with a smile.

 “You’re a lot kinder than you seem. I’m sure Syaoran-kun sees you like a father,” Fuuma said.

 Kurogane shook his head in denial.

 “He already has a father. And that might be the problem”

 “Eh? Why is that?”

 “The kid fights hard for what he wants, but it’s frustrating when you work that hard and still never get what you want”

 “And what do you think he wants?”

 Kurogane took a seat at the table and poured himself another glass of sake.

 “He wants his family back”

 Inside the house, Fai assisted Syaoran in lying down on the bed. He inspected his bandages to make sure his wounds were not bleeding through, and everything seemed to be in order. The worst part of the crying seemed to pass, and now the boy was simply staring into space with puffy red eyes and his cheeks slightly damp. Fai stroked his hair and smiled down at him as he sat on knees beside the futon.

 “Do you need to cry any more, Syaoran-kun? No one will think any less of you, you know…”

 Syaoran shook his head.

 “No…I’ve already cried enough. I’m sorry…I cut the game short and made everyone uncomfortable”

 Fai shook his head this time, his smile still remaining and the gentleness of it washing over Syaoran.

 “You did nothing wrong. You’ve been through a lot. Certainly enough to warrant tears once in a while. I’d be more worried if you didn’t cry and just held everything in”

 Mokona snuggled up against Syaoran on the futon.

 “Fai’s right. Mokona could feel you keeping everything inside. You were so sad…”

 The boy’s eyes widened, surprised to say the least.

 “You can talk about it if you want,” Fai said.

 Syaoran wanted to object at first, but he knew better than to try and hide anything from them. After all, like Fuuma had said before, the distance had been reduced, and they had been through enough that there was no reason to hide anything.

 “I…miss Sakura…and mother and father. Kimihiro too…”

 Fai hummed a bit in acknowledgement.

 “That makes sense. We all understand how you wish for everyone to be together again”

 The boy stared silently at the ceiling for a moment, contemplating his next words.

 “I saw ‘Syaoran’…in the Utaki...”

 Fai and Mokona looked to him, keeping quiet as to let him continue speaking.

 “To use the power of ‘Seji’, the Utaki told me I had to…erase ‘Syaoran’ from existence. But I couldn’t do it…’Syaoran’ believed in me and told me it was all right…that he wouldn’t judge me for acting on what I believed in, but I couldn’t do it…I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing him again…”

 Syaoran’s voice held more pain the further he got, and Mokona’s eyes burned with tears as she felt the wave of his emotions.

 “How horrible…” she stated.

 “…And because of me, only half of the people in the inner Nirai Kanai were saved. I don’t even know if I managed to save that girl…”

 Fai shook his head as if to stop him and touched his shoulder comfortingly.

 “Syaoran-kun…without you, everything would have been lost. This world would have been taken in by the world of the dead. You did nothing wrong”

 The boy looked to him with sad amber eyes.

 “But I could’ve saved everyone had I not been so selfish. The Utaki said I had to defeat ‘Syaoran’ and prove I was without selfishness in my intentions. Then, I could use the power…”

 Fai tilted his head.

 “So you’re concerned that your decision was selfish?”

 Syaoran sighed.

 “I’ve always been selfish. Whenever I wanted something, I kept pushing forward without thinking about the consequences of my actions. Same with when I chose to turn back time…I broke the laws of the universe almost irreparably, and I’m still paying the price for it. But I haven’t really learned, have I? I nearly cost us everything…”

 “So?” Fai said.

 Syaoran blinked at this response.

 “There are many who believe in you and the choices you make, no matter how they seem to others. Kuro-pu, Mokona, Sakura-chan, Watanuki-kun, and ‘Syaoran’…we all believe in you and know you will make the right choices, because you have a strong heart. You are a good person Syaoran-kun, and the fact that you feel the way you do right now makes you human”

 The boy stared at him for a long moment, thinking hard about what to say next.

 “Do you think I am selfish for wanting to bring back ‘Syaoran’?”

 Fai shook his head.

 “I don’t, but even if I did, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You must do what your heart tells you to do. That is the only sure way to find happiness”

 Syaoran slowly nodded, his eyelids feeling much heavier than before. Fai brought his hand to rest over Syaoran’s eyes and spoke softly, almost like a lullaby.

 “Go to sleep now. Tomorrow’s a new day, and we’ll all still be here by your side,” the magician said.

 When he removed his hand, the boy’s eyes had closed and he had already drifted off to sleep. Mokona snuggled up beside him and followed suit shortly after, and when they were both fast asleep, Fai made his way back outside to Kurogane and Fuuma. He took a seat at the table and poured himself a glass of sake.

 “How is Syaoran-kun?” Fuuma asked.

 Fai smiled and took a sip from his glass.

 “He’s asleep now and will be just fine”

 Kurogane seemed relieved, but he was trying to conceal that fact. After all, he couldn’t let anyone know he was actually worried. His crimson eyes glanced to the container that held his new arm.

 “Now that our reason for staying here has arrived, we should move on to the next world…”

 Kurogane seemed eager to move on, even if this place was peaceful as could be.

 “Let’s stay just a bit longer, Kuro-tan…”

 “Eh? Why?”

 “Well, we should let Syaoran’s wounds heal properly. The ones in his heart too need some time,” Fai said softly before taking another sip of his drink.

 Kurogane’s lips formed into a tight line, but appeared to be in agreement.

 “Just a bit longer, but eventually we have to keep moving forward”

 Fai nodded, gazing up to the stars in the sky.

 “We will. But it’s all right stop and look at the stars once in a while”

 Fuuma rose his glass up.

 “I’ll drink to that,” he said, and Fai clinked his glass together with Fuuma’s.

 Fai then clapped his hands together as if an idea had come to mind.

 “Now that the children are asleep, the adults can have misbehave a little bit!”

 Fuuma laughed, and Fai reached into his pocket to pull out the small pouch of money he had won earlier from Kurogane.

 “Want to try and win the money back, Kuro-sama?”

 The ninja grinned at the proposition.

 “You’re on, mage,” he said with conviction.

 Fuuma adjusted his glasses, seeming intrigued.

 “May I play too?” he asked.

 “Of course!”

 The three men began to play gambling games, drank to their heart’s content, and enjoyed the stars above them. At least in every world, there would be stars to watch over them and brighten even the darkest of nights.